I recently traversed to the Texas/Mexico border to see what the unprotected portions of our southern border actually look like in person. It’s one thing to see it on the news but another to stand on it. The section of the border I explored was in Big Bend National Park. It’s the second most southern point of Tx. Big Bend is about 9 and a half hours south west of Waco, 11 hours south west of Dallas, and 8 hours west of San Antonio. So it’s in the middle of no where. The landscape is very arid with mesas and mountains. It is high desert through most of the park as the altitude of some peaks can surpass 7000 feet. Who knew Tx had mountains? It looks a lot like Arizona New Mexico, and southern Utah.
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The drive to Big Bend from Dallas is fairly flat until you reach the foothills around Austin. At that point there are pleasant rolling hills for mile and miles. Getting closer to Big Bend, as you turn southwest after Austin, the land begins to open up into endless pastures and distant mesas. It’s quite beautiful. There are numerous classic Tx ranches in these spaces with mostly cattle. There are also a large number of people with herds of goats. Goats seem pretty popular down there. And there is a speckling of lamas and ostriches. I hear ostriches are worth a lot of money. On top of the large mesas far out in the distance are endless rows of looming wind mills. They are enormous. They are a force to be reckoned with even for the mesas themselves, who must feel at least a little jealous over their size and prominence. This landscape goes on for hours until about 2 hours from Big Bend, where the rolling hills and mesas begin to multiply in size. Mile after mile the land rises up around you. Just outside outside of the park, you reach a border patrol check point where everyone must stop, at east when leaving the park. I didn’t reach this point until about 2 in the morning on the way their and did not even realize their was a check point. So apparently, you don’t get stopped driving in to the park. Patrol guards question you and then let you through. I had no issues passing through the check point. It was a smooth seamless process. Once reaching the park, their is still about an hour or more drive through the park to get to a campground.
The landscape is gorgeous in Big Bend. Their are sizable peaks, towering mesas, and vast valleys. It’s a scene straight from or at least very similar to Arizona or Utah. The land is barren, dry, and apparently lifeless, except for the short shrubs and bushes that blanket the ground with a spotty distribution. The temperature was very pleasant, in the 80′s and 90′s during the day and 60′s and 70′s at night. The pleasant temps were due to the high altitude, but they do get very hot during may and june. As soon as you come down from these altitudes surround the park, the temps shoot up and become oppressive. The high park is a bit of an oasis from the hot sun, which makes hiking and exploring very comfortable.
Accommodations at the park are mainly for campers. There is one lodge but it’s pricey, about $120 a night. Campgrounds for tents are only $14 a night, and the views from Chios Basin camp ground are unparalleled. Waking up to see your camp surrounded 360˚ by the Chios mountains is breathtaking. These peaks surpass 7000 feet and provide some astounding scenic views, if you can hike to them. The south rim of the Chios mountains has perhaps the best views in the park, overlooking a vast valley, the Rio Grande river, and other mountain ranges and mesas that extend into Mexico. The park has many other great sites as well, like Santa Elena Canyon and endless back country mesas and mountains available for exploration.
The park is pretty much in the middle of no where. There are a couple very small towns on it’s edges, but they are all at least 45 minutes or more away, and there is not much to them. Maybe a couple places to eat and a gift shop. And this is on the American side. On the Mexican side, there are fewer towns and they are less developed. Border crossings at these towns is highly restricted now, whereas it was more lenient in the past and visitors could cross with relative ease.
Mother nature is most brutal along this stretch of border. When you stand at the Rio Grande River, which is the only visible sign marking the border, can imagine very easily the treachery of being exposed in this land scape for any extended period of time. Without proper supplies, you would die after a couple days out here. There are no safety net cities to flee to for basic needs. The law of nature rules here with an iron fist. Even with the proper supplies, you would not last very long. You can only carry so much, and it wouldn’t be enough to trek the many miles from a small town in Mexico to one on the US side.
Crossing the border in Big Bend is the easy part. I explored the border on the Rio Grande at a point called Hot Springs. Tourists venture to this locale to soak in a natural hot spring that remains about 105˚. Click on this map and check it out. It’s a fairly remote area, with only Rio Grande Village nearby to the east, which is literally a small village with a handful of shacks on the Mexican side and some dusty campground sites on the US. Outside of this, there is nothing for as far as you can see. Not an ideal place to chart an illegal border crossing to.
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The whole spot feels very shady. In the Hot Springs parking lot, there are signs warning about vehicle break-ins and theft. Then as you trek the short hike to the Rio Grande river, there are abandoned stone buildings and shacks. along the hike signs warn tourists not to buy souvenirs from illegals, showing pictures of trinkets you may see down at the river. The signs site the federal fines and prison time for such actions. Once you reach the river, sure enough, there are several spots where someone has left some trinkets for sale and a jar to put your money in. One visitor, who had visited the park his whole life, explained there were a few dwellings across the river and the kids tried to sell their hand-made crafts here. I was just amazed anyone could live out here. They must have been from Rio Grande Village to the east. It is only a moderate hike from the village to the Hot Spring area.
The Rio Grande is actually quite docile when water levels are normal or low. I waded into the river to cool down while exploring. The water is warm and murky with desert sand. The bottom is sandy with rocks and the depth relatively shallow. I ventured quite a ways out into the river and it never seemed to go past my waist. The current is pretty strong, but not dangerously so. There were several other people wading, but they left after a short time. There seemed to be a 
correlation between me showing up and stripping to my speedo and their departing. I bet they thought I was European. Once they were gone, it was just me and my traveling companion, who was also in horror over the speedo.
There were no apparent eyes watching or surveillance of any kind. The Barnum & Bailey Circus could have crossed and no one would ever have known. The only thing protecting the border from illegal crossings was tyrannical mother nature who’s either an enemy or an ally depending on which side your on. The border stretches on for hundreds of miles like this in Texas. There is just no way anyone could hike to the border, cross, and then hike to a town to recuperate before migrating further inland to a major city. The human body could not surmount such obstacles. Exposure to the elements is the very reason there are so many border crossing deaths, sadly, in Arizona. It’s that fierce down here on the southern border. Life and limb hang in the balance for anyone attempting such a feet on foot, no pun intended. Mother nature serves as the ultimate first line of defense for foreigners crossing over illegally. Texas’ southern border is even more remote then Arizona’s however. So the rate of illegal border crossings is much lower in this area of TX.
Hiking to the south rim of the Chios Mountains gives you even more perspective on what lies ahead for anyone trying to cross into the US illegally from Mexico. The south rim stands at an elevation over 6000 feet and boasts a 2500 foot drop to the desert floor. The view spans out over the southern US/Mexico border. The hike to get to the rim is about 6 miles, one way, and 4500 vertical feet. And if you live at sea level like I do, you definitely feel this altitude and breath a little more heavily. Standing at the rim is awe inspiring. The view is spectacular. The land stretches out before you for hundreds of miles with not a single sign of life or development. Just mountains, desert, mesas, and shrubs. Staring at the border from this perspective makes it more clear that no one would have a chance in hell of hiking from some distant city through this barren landscape to cross the border into the US. It is just not possible. Even an expert in survival would likely not make the journey. Mother nature, while beautiful and epic here, is deadly and cruel. The easy border crossing here is not worth the peril of reaching it.
While much of our border is desolate like in southern Texas, much of the border is not, like in Arizona and california. Mother nature is not enough to head off illegal border crossings here. Though many die from the elements here attempting to cross, Mother nature is just not perilous enough to ward off or deter the most desperate. Mother nature needs some aide in these areas. Like a multiple layered border fence, which was begun but stopped. A more streamlined process for becoming a citizen may help, as currently, it takes years and thousands of dollars. The temporary worker card system seemed to be beneficial for keeping track of those that were willing to go through a formal process to work in the US. An increased military or guard presence is needed, which is partially underway. The systems in place need to be more efficient and the border needs to present more of a deterrence. Our border must be a force to be reckoned with in vulnerable areas, just like Mother nature has been along so much of the border.
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Raging Kitty